And as much as K-Pop gives its audience catchy pop-singles and the well-timed synched up dance moves along with handsome faces, it gives more. It also safeguards such and such detailed and creative marketing strategies that bring fans closer to artists of their choice. Those fans were quickly able to latch on to one specific Stray Kids related product called SKZOO, which is the official mascot of the group. For this purpose, the authors in this article wanted to find out what exactly SKZOO is, who is behind it and the characters involved and why K-pop fans embrace it.
What is SKZOO?
SKZOO is an animal character that actually represents all the Stray Kids members. Here in this case, each mascot should ideally look like the personality, character or in any way, the spirit of the particular member it is representing in an openly adorable manner. Originally, SKZOO came as an extension of Stray Kids’ branding since this group and viewers called STAY found a way to bond.
Despite the fact that these mascots are illustrations there are similar products, merchandise, animations and even the mascots can perform during concerts. At the moment, fans from all over the world would state that SKZOO is one of the reasons for Stray Kids’ cuteness.
The Origins of SKZOO
SKZOO was an idea in Stray Kids’ marketing and or product branding strategy during their time of debut. The objective was to develop the characters and make them ‘marketable’ such that people would associate the character of each member with the character given to him. Future lectures should incorporate this notion because it helps with comprehension of the K-pop industry and its utilisation of mascots, animations and merchandise when it comes to the fans.
The name is actually an acronym meaning Stray Kids and ‘zoo’ because of the animal character incorporated into its name. When fan applied it at first, SKZOO become the significant element in the group identity, fandoms produced merchandises and artworks about these mascots.
The studio and its creators SKZOO also known as Sky Zoo are introduced through the following characters which are masterfully crafted cartoon characters:
Actually, each of the members in Stray Kids has his or her own SKZOO mascot that fits their character. Here’s a closer look at these adorable characters:
1. Bang Chan – Wolf Chan
Such an energetic and attractive person as the band’s leader in Stray Kids is a self–confident werewolf, Wolf Chan. Here, Robin wolf means the definition of leadership traits and concern Bang chan has towards the group and fans.
2. Lee Know – Leebit
Leebit – The mascot is a rabbit which is associated with the enthusiasm of a company named Lee Know. This playfulness exactly defines his personality; instead of wicked, cute.
3. Changbin – Dwaekki
Changbin also mentioned that Dwaekki is a pig and rabbit; that is part of Changbin’s personality – funny and creative. In more detail, the participant’s look is unique, and it means that his perception belongs to his work-oriented and creative attitude.
4. Hyunjin – Jiniret
Janeret is a cute and beautiful ferret and perfectly reflects the concept, the artlessness of the: lovely artistry of the Hyunjin. The look of the ferret captures also the style which the ferret brings to the performances and visuals.
5. Han – Han Quokka
Han is happy and lucky , hence he is attached to the quokka. This manner of behavior and always smiling face of the animal is quite suitable for Ham with an approachable character.
6. Felix – Foxi
Foxi symbolizes Felix as a beautiful and intelligent fox-girl like a lady but non- aggressiveness. Every physical characteristic of the fox can be linked to the fox’s personality as the clever and stylish animal.
7. Seungmin – PuppyM
PuppyM is a chubby and cute dog which tells about Seungmin as a receptive and credit worthy group member. Which is why since it is very friendly, it is much loved by the fans.
8. I.N – Baby Bread
Another character from Stray Kids, Baby Bread is a cute but naughty character because the artist hinted at it as the youngest in the group. It also showcased I.N’s lighthearted nature through music such as electronics as well as comic-like feel in the styled design.
Why Fans Love SKZOO
The immense popularity of SKZOO among STAYs can be attributed to several factors:
1. Relatability
As seen in each mascot, an entirely different look into the members and the peculiarity of Stray Kids can be viewed. The chars are very convenient to the fans since a fan tends to consider the characters as his or her own role models.
2. Marketing Benefits
It has provided an extensive range of merchandise for customers since its establishment as SKZOO has provided, toys, key chains, apparels, accessories, stationery among others. These items enable fans to have a part of their most loved group in an artistic way.
3. Interactive Content
They especially appear in animations, social networks accounts, and other commercials. This is one kind of content which is engaging the fans and is able to keep them busy.
4. Fan Art and Creativity
Artist has drawings, DIY crafts, and cosplay based on SKZOO, and all the ideas derived from this work can be found on the Internet resources. These mascots have sort of assigned the fans and let them here in one way or the other participate in creative outputs.
5. Concert Experiences
It is always fun when at Stray Kids’ concerts there are characters called SKZOO performing which makes the event much more entertaining to the audience. Moreover, it is nice to have a character whose own age on a screen or real lifelike character patrolling around the venue enhances the environmental pleasure of a concert venue.
SKZOO Merchandise: A Collector’s Dream
Allow me to mention that quite a few of the STAYs keep purchasing SKZOO merchandise in the present time. Some popular items include:
- Plush Toys: Preferred characters of the Zoo soft toys games are very appropriate gifts for everyone.
- Keychains and Pins: Of small sizes and portable hence allowing fans to carry it around thus conveying part of SKZOO with them.
- Clothing: Amongst the merchandise is T-Shirts, Hoodies, and caps with designs of SKZOO which majority of the fans love to show off their idol and the group.
- Stationery: Characters of skzoo stickers also motivate us and notebooks and pens also make it pleasant to do the day to day work.
SKZOO — Stray Kids Branding
Here, SKZOO is not an advertising trick: rather it is a branding strategy which makes the fans of the group recall what Stray Kids is all about. By incorporating these mascots into their promotional efforts, Stray Kids has successfully:
- Built a Stronger Connection with Fans: To an extent, SKZOO gives audiences another reason to be as close with the group as possible.
- Expanded Their Market: To many people they are not only just a K-Pop boy band, they have huge fans .
- Increased Revenue Streams: Most products sold under this label of SKZOO have been found to be effective in enhancing the revenues of the organization.
Ways that You Can Support SKZOO and Stray Kids
If you’re a fan of Stray Kids and their SKZOO mascots, here are some ways to show your support:
1. Purchase Official Merchandise: Hence, buying the original SKZOO product ensures that the money is spent to the benefit of the group only.
2. Engage on Social Media: More specifically, it is asked to partly repost favourite content created by SKZOO and react to the posts by the official accounts in social media.
3. Attend Events: The concert or fan meeting is always a great way to have fun with your favorite artist, similarly by participating in activities that have SKZOO you can always have your fun.
4. Create and Share Fan Content: Share more about SKZOO and you can use images, videos or even posts on the social media platforms.
Conclusion
The abbreviation SKZOO also has a strong connection with Stray Kids, and only a positively charming and new abbreviation can attract the attention of fans. These cute icons reflect members’ characters, besides enhancing the rapport between a group and its endorser. Not only does their merchandise appear to get visually improved, but also their concerts are getting improved which was a fresh evidence of Stray Kids to the fact that K-pop is not only music but it is also the experience of a steady progression.
Regardless of longevity of the fan or degree of their latest conversion to the Church of SKZOO, it provides the fans with knowledge in an entertaining way. So yeah it is great fun and let’s have these cute mascots ever add some smile to your day Int.